LONG CASE CLOCK
Mahogany veneer on oak carcase
Inscribed 'William Dutton. London.', made about 1746

Case:
Mahogany veneer on oak carcass. Break-arch trunk door with moulded border. Concave moulding below hood. Arch top, with concave section below cornice to sliding hood, surmounted by a single ball finial on a square pedestal. Break-arch glazed front door with moulded border; chamfered, fluted corners to hood front. Hood sides with rectangular blind sound frets. Rectangular base with moulded edged panel. Double plinth with straight bottom edge. Label on trunk door of collection "C.D. Rotch, No.119"

Dial:
Brass, break-arch, total height 165/8 inches, central portion 12 inches square. Centre matted. Rectangular calendar aperture with bevelled edges is located below oval silvered brass plaque pinned to the dial plate, engraved Willm Dutton / London. Rococo style spandrels, each secured by a pair of screws located at dial plate corners. Flanking a silvered brass ring in the break-arch, engraved Strike/Silent are rococo arch spandrels. Pinned to the dial plate is the silvered brass chapter ring with an engraved minute band, having small triangles and Arabic minute numerals each at intervals of five; Roman hour numerals. Pinned to the dial plate below "XII" is the subsidiary seconds ring of silvered brass engraved with engraved seconds band and Arabic seconds numerals at intervals of five; its diameter is such that at the top it cuts into underside of main chapter ring, whilst at the bottom its lower portion is partially cut away to clear central hole for the hands. A silvered brass ring with engraved Arabic numerals for the date (1-31) runs behind the dial. Four dial feet are attached to movement front plate by pinning.

Hands:
Pierced steel hour and minute; seconds hand with tail. Located in the centre of the strike/silent scale is substantial steel hand which selects strike, or silent.

Movement:
Well finished and executed to a high standard. Brass and steel, weight driven, hour striking of 8-day duration with dead beat escapement, pendulum regulated. Five pillars, each with a central knop, riveted to the backplate, pinned to the front. Hour striking on bell, controlled by rack and snail, with strike / silent operating on lifter. Brass train wheels with four predominantly semicircular crossings but whose almost straight spokes taper towards circumference, except escape wheel, with its six, straight, tapering crossings. Double profiled wheel collets consisting of two cylindrical sections each of different diameter, larger adjacent to wheel. Minute wheel colleted to its arbor, the whole located on front plate by a cock. Steel arbors with very slight barrel-shape; elongated pinion heads. Harrison maintaining power. Straight-armed steel dead beat pallets embrace 8½ teeth of escape wheel; semicircular backs to its wheel teeth. Both pallets and crutch screwed to the pallet arbor. Crutch ‘j’ shaped with crutch fork in form of single pin mounted on a short, pivoted piece. Substantial backcock occupies over half width of backplate. Front pallet arbor pivots run in a small rectangular cock screwed to inside of front plate, adjacent to which is one vacant hole. Great wheel clicks are of the type separate from their screws. Movement secured to seatboard by fine threaded screws going into threaded holes in the two knops of the lower pillars; seatboard fits case precisely and is located by pins. Massive pendulum, consisting of a wooden rod, lozenge-sectioned lead disc forming the bob, knurled nut and brass regulating ball with engraved Arabic calibration numerals.

Description and notes by Francis Brodie, c. 2008

Bequeathed by C. D. Rotch

Bequeathed by Claude Rotch

Longcases appearing during the last quarter of the eighteenth century associated with such makers as Thomas Mudge, William Dutton and John Holmes were reckoned to be the finest mahogany London longcase clocks (Neale, J.A., Joseph and Thomas Windmills: Clock and Watchmakers, 1671-1737, Wadhurst, 1999). Characteristic of such cases is the arch top with the single finial in the centre. W.78-1962 has a well executed case, a perfectly fitting seatboard and movement particularly well finished.

The origin of the design of this case is not clear. Penney believes that Thomas Mudge was the originator, evolving the case as he succeeded Graham as a stamp of his individuality (Neale, J.A., More Tilting at Windmills, Antiquarian Horology, Vol.17, No.6, Winter 1988, pp563-582). However, Tuck suspects that Holmes was generally involved in the design of Mudge and Dutton’s work, although no reason is given (St Edmundsbury Borough Council Museum’s Service, The John Gershom Partington Time Measurement Instruments, Bury St Edmunds, 1979). It has been stated that most cases for Holmes were made by William Rich although Penney disputes this attribution (Neale, J.A., More Tilting at Windmills, Antiquarian Horology, Vol.17, No.6, Winter 1988, pp563-582; Dawson, P.G., Longcase Clocks of a Distinctive Design, Antiquarian Horology, Vol.16, No.5, March 1987, pp479-481).

Although there are similarities, Penney believes W.78-1962 is a Dutton and not a Holmes. Dutton details include the curved backs to the stiles, found on either side of the inside of the trunk, and that all four sides of the pedestal, on which the finial is mounted, curve in. Although the Ludlum style of pendulum with the offset crutch (used to minimise friction) found with this clock has been associated with Holmes, Penney has no reason to doubt the pendulum in this case (Neale, J.A., Joseph and Thomas Windmills: Clock and Watchmakers, 1671-1737, Wadhurst, 1999; Dawson, P.G., Longcase Clocks of a Distinctive Design, Antiquarian Horology, Vol.16, No.5, March 1987, pp479-481). However, other typical Holmes features which are evident in W.78-1962 include: split roller suspension, the substantial double bracket backcock and Harrison maintaining power. A recoil, semi dead beat escapement would be associated with Holmes but it would appear that the escapement fitted to W.78-1962 (a dead beat) is styled in the nineteenth century manner and is presumably a replacement.

In keeping with details of the movement to ensure accuracy of timekeeping including the escapement, presence of maintaining power and quality of execution, the Ludlam pendulum is of a type less affected by temperature in comparison with the typical longcase version made in steel. The following is from "The Delivery of a Clock by John Holmes London to a Yorkshire Country House", 1794, a letter and bill and instructions for setting up a mahogany longcase clock bought by Godfrey Wentworth of Wooley Hall, near Wakefield, from John Holmes, 156 Strand, 1794: "If it should be found to go too fast or too slow it may be brought back to time by screwing up the small ball of the pendulum which is below the large ball… Below the regulating ball is a small nut which should always be kept close to the ball to keep it in its situation". The large ball refers to the bob, whilst the small ball refers to the brass, spherical regulator.

Doubts exist regarding the engraved plaque; the size and proportion of capital letters in relation to the lowercase ones is unusual. Penney believes that the plaque has been changed, although the clock itself is most likely a Dutton (Neale, J.A., More Tilting at Windmills, Antiquarian Horology, Vol.17, No.6, Winter 1988, pp563-582).

Assistance gratefully acknowledged to D. Penney.

Description and notes by Francis Brodie, c. 2008

William Dutton, was apprenticed to Graham and afterwards partner with Mudge at 148 Fleet Street from 1746-1794. He was a member of the Clockmakers' Company in 1746 and a liveryman in 1766.

The dial of silvered brass has two winding holes for going & striking. The spandrels are decorated with floral rococo ornament. Maintains power & dead-beat escapement.

This clock was formerly on loan to the Natural History Museum.

W.78-1962